Home › Aves › Gruidae › Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
SPECIES PROFILE
Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
Grus
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Breeds at Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada; winters at Aransas NWR, TX; migrates through the central plains
DIET
Omnivore
HABITAT
Breeds at Wood Buffalo NP, Canada; winters at Aransas NWR, TX; uses prairie wetlands and agricultural fields on migration
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Gruiformes
FAMILY
Gruidae
GENUS
Grus
📋 Description
SIZE
150 cm tall; wingspan 200–230 cm; up to 7.5 kg
COLORATION
Brilliant white plumage with a red crown and black mask; black wingtips visible in flight; immatures rusty-brown
ADAPTATIONS
Highly site-faithful migratory route passed down culturally; elaborate unison calling and dancing pair-bonding displays
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Breeds at Wood Buffalo NP, Canada; winters at Aransas NWR, TX; uses prairie wetlands and agricultural fields on migration
DIET
Omnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Breeds at Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada; winters at Aransas NWR, TX; migrates through the central plains
REPRODUCTION
Pair-bonded for life; single egg in a muskeg nest in Canada; one chick typically survives; slow reproductive rate
DIET DETAILS
Blue crabs and clams at wintering grounds; frogs, fish, and grain on migration; berries and insects at breeding grounds
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Power line collisions during migration; habitat loss at wintering grounds; low reproductive rate; coastal storm risk at wintering site
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Whooping Crane was reduced to just 15 wild birds in 1941 and now numbers over 500 — one of the most dramatic conservation recoveries in North American history.
2
Whooping Cranes travel nearly 4,000 km between their Canadian breeding grounds and Texas wintering site; the entire wild migratory population passes through a narrow central corridor.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, TX, is the only winter home for the wild migratory Whooping Crane population
Platte River near Grand Island, NE, is a spring stopover for northbound Whooping Cranes in April
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge near Decatur, AL, occasionally hosts Whooping Cranes from the eastern reintroduced population
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
November to March at Aransas NWR, TX, for the wintering population; late April along the Platte River, NE, for northbound migrants.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Autumn migration. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas is the winter home; Platte River, NE, is a spring stopover for the central flyway population.
